The Early Architecture of Western Pennsylvania - (Regional) by Charles Morse Stotz (Hardcover)

About the Book

The new edition of this long unavailable classic features an extensive analytical introduction by the noted architectural historian Dell Upton. Containing 416 black-and-white photographs, 81 measured drawings and an extensive text, this volume presents a splendid array of the early dwellings, barns, and other outbuildings, churches, arsenals, banks, inns, commercial buildings, tollhouses, mills, and even tombstones of western Pennsylvania.

Book Synopsis

A new edition of this long unavailable classic reproduces photographic prints made from original negatives and features an extensive analytical introduction by the noted architectural historian Dell Upton.Before the 1936 publication of The Early Architecture of Western Pennsylvania, the architectual heritage of a region prominent in the history of early America had been almost totally neglected. Based on a four-year survey conducted by the Pittsburgh chapter of the American Istitute of Architects, Charles Morse Stotz's book provides the definitive description and analysis of structures ranging from log houses to colonial and Georgian structures to examples of the pre-Civil War Gothic revival. The volume defines the local architectural idiom as an expression of the frontier and early industrial societies that played such an important part in the history of nineteenth century America.This oversized volume of 416 black-and-white photographs, 81 measured drawings and an extensive text presents a splendid array of early dwellings, barns, and other outbuildings, churches, arsenals, banks, inns, commercial buildings, tollhouses, mills, and even tombstones. Time has proved this work to be the definitive record of an architectural heritage that was fast disappearing with the economic boom of World War II and the postwar years.The Early Architecture of Western Pennsylvania is also a work of precision, beauty, and integrity. The drawings ignore alterations made after 960 and shoe the buildings in their original condition, giving special attention to details such as window sashes, shutters, cornices, and roofs. The floor plan of each structure is included, and line drawings display the profiles of moldings and ornamentation. Signature stones and hardware convey the quality of the early craftsmen's work. In all cases, stone joining has been faithfully drawn, joint for joint, to record the charm of old wall patterns.This new edition makes a landmark book available to a new generation of readers - one especially aware of the importance of architectural preservation and guarding the history of the Western Pennsylvania region.

From the Back Cover

'Characterized by elegant and appealing architectural drawings, wide-ranging coverage, and a thorough and accurate text, The Early Architecture of Western Pennsylvania remains a monument of regional architecture.' ---from the Introductions by Dell Upton, University of California, Berkeley

Review Quotes

Provides a definitive record of pre-1860 architecture in Western Pennsylvania based on the Western Pennsylvania Architectural Survey in 1932. . . . Originally published in 1936 . . . the current edition includes a section describing the making of the book [and] preserves the original edition's handsome photographs.-- "Journal of Economic Literature"

The single most important record for most of the finest buildings constructed during the era in western Pennsylvania.-- "Columns "

About the Author

Charles Morse Stotz, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, was author of numerous volumes on the history and architecture of western Pennsylvania.